Sooner, not Later
by kmccartneyyyy
Summary: Neville Longbottom and his best friend, Piper Scott are just two Gryffindor students who don't realize they're in love until it's too late.


Neville had found her.

The girl of his dreams.

The girl who had been his best friend since their first year at Hogwarts.

He remembered. She had crooked teeth, but a big, bright smile. Her ears stuck out a bit, but that was okay, because his did, too. She had freckles on her cheeks and huge, hazel eyes that lit up when he was near. She was small for her age. Standing beside Neville in her first year, she was like a twig.

Her name was Piper Scott and the first time he felt attracted to her was in his fifth year. She had grown and developed. She had always been smaller than the other girls at Hogwarts, with small breasts and thin legs, but when she returned for their fifth year, she had grown a nice pair of breasts and she had developed with some muscle on her legs and arms and she even put on a little weight, making her thin frame a little more attractive. Piper's ears became flatter, her teeth had straightened out and she just looked nicer, overall.

She was not the only one who had grown, though. Neville had changed drastically, having a few growth spurts and losing weight. His ears too had looked as though he had tucked the back and his teeth were growing a bit straighter with every year. He was becoming a more talented wizard and much more open to his friends.

When he would normally see Piper, he'd smile uncontrollably and her eyes would brighten, but now, seeing her as this pretty girl, he could feel his stomach churning and his heart would race. Piper's face would become pink and whenever she'd look at Neville, she would flash him that brilliant smile of her's.

Piper was a Gryffindor, one of the bravest people he ever knew, but sometimes, he wanted to hold her back and keep her away from all the danger. He knew that she was always getting herself into trouble, racing to be the first in the middle of the action. She always liked dueling and showing off her magical ability. She liked fighting for a cause. Piper didn't mind putting herself in extreme danger as long as it would be worth it in the long run. Neville knew she would going to get seriously hurt one day, but hoped it wouldn't happen.

Piper noticed that throughout the years, Neville was becoming more and more like a Gryffindor. He was becoming more and more brave every year he returned to Hogwarts and many other people took notice. She admired that about him. She would watch him in Potions class, struggling to read the instructions right, but she loved when Professor Snape would hurl hurtful insults at him and Neville would shrug them off – Neville learned each year to just ignore them and when finally, Snape's insults didn't affect him at all, she felt happy for him.

"It was you who taught me to not even care what people think," Neville said to Piper one day. Piper flushed a deep red.

"I haven't taught you anything," she replied honestly.

"Piper, you never care what people think about you," Neville told her and Piper smiled wide, looking away from him. "I want to be more like you. You're a great person."

Slowly, but surely, by their sixth year, Neville and Piper had fallen for each other. She liked him for who he was – a horrible potions student, a great herbology student, a great wizard, and the nervous, brave, and kind person he really was.

He had fallen in love with her long before that, he just didn't realize it. He could tell her everything and she wouldn't react negatively and she wouldn't judge him. She believed that he could be everything his parents were and he truly admired her bravery and courage and the fact that she believed in him when no one else did – not even his own Gran.

"When this war comes," Piper was saying one day. "I'm going to fighting until I can't fight anymore."

Neville smiled at her, but wished she hadn't said it. He didn't want her to fight. He didn't want to see Piper hurt – it would kill him. And if she died? Neville didn't even want to think about it. He wouldn't be able to live without her – his best friend. His first and only love. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to be with her for the rest of his life. He wanted her to be his and only his.

"When the war comes," she said again, a giant smile on her face. "You'll show your Gran up. She'll see what you've truly become, Neville."

At the end of their sixth year, boys began to take notice of Piper. No longer was she just 'Neville's friend', but she was Piper Scott. Boys weren't falling all over her like most of the beautiful girls in Hogwarts, but it was enough to make Neville slightly jealous, and although she never took interest in any other boys romantically, Neville couldn't help it. He figured that Piper would never feel for him the way he felt for her.

Piper noticed that Neville began to hang around Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood a lot and when Neville and Piper weren't together – which was very rare – the three of them were inseparable. She was jealous, there was no denying it. She tried to hide it, but it was no use. Everyone saw Neville and Piper and told them the same things over and over again.

"Why aren't you two dating?"

"He loves you!"

"She's crazy about you."

"Just ask him out – he won't say no."

"I swear, you two are going to end up married."

Whenever one of the two would receive a comment like that, they'd blush and deny it.

On the last day of their sixth year, Neville and Piper were sitting in the Gryffindor common room on the couch together, in front of the warming fire. Neville, feeling bolder than usual, looked up at her, half her pale face illuminated in by the fire. Her brown hair fell in curls, framing her face. Her nose was buried in a book. Neville cleared his throat.

Piper looked up at him and suddenly realized how close they were sitting. She had her legs crossed and her knee was touching his leg just barely, yet no one had moved away.

Piper closed her book and Neville asked her, "How come you don't have a boyfriend?"

She blushed and smiled. "I don't know," she replied, shrugging. "I just don't feel like having one." She secretly hoped that the conversation was going to get somewhere, but she had learned not to get her hopes up. "Why don't you have a girlfriend?"

It was Neville's turn to blush. "I don't know. I suppose something's wrong with me."

Piper smiled and shook her head. "I don't think there's anything wrong with you."

"I believe that you're the only one who thinks it."

In their seventh year, Neville had shown everyone that he was brave, courageous, and loyal. He stood up for himself more than he ever had in his whole life at Hogwarts. He constantly received detentions, but he was not as bad as Piper.

Piper, with her loud mouth and desire to be as brave as she could be, had been tortured and beaten by the Carrows' more than most people had been. Madam Pomfrey treated her nearly every day and was surprised if a day went by where Piper hadn't visited her.

"Here," Neville soaked a towel in some liquid that was a light yellow and then pressed it to Piper's face. "Professor Sprout gave me the right ingredients and said it would help with my cuts."

Piper whimpered, but allowed Neville to mop her face clean of blood.

"Was it the Cruciatus Curse again?" he asked quietly, dipping the towel in the solution again. Piper nodded and flinched as he pressed the towel to her face once more. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"Piper, you've got to learn to be quiet sometimes. The Carrows will end up killing you if you keep this up."

"What about you?" she asked, closing her eyes as the towel was pressed to her right eyebrow, which sported a deep gash. "You're in detention and in trouble just as much as I am."

"You're in trouble more than I am," he replied, dipping the towel in the solution again. This time, he took her wrist gently and began to dab the cuts on her left arm. "Look at you. You're going to get killed at this rate." Even as he said it, he could feel a lump forming in his throat. He kept his eyes on her arm, focusing on what he was doing.

"You get hurt a lot, too," she argued gently. "I don't like seeing you hurt, Neville."

Neville grabbed her right hand, touching the towel to each of her cuts as delicately as he could. Everytime she flinched, her hand would clutch his tighter and he didn't want her to let go. "I'm worried about you. Sometimes I think you don't know what you're doing. Don't you realize that the Carrows are evil? They could kill you."

"But I'd be dying for a good cause, wouldn't I? Proving a point?"

"That's not the point, Piper. I don't want you to die – you're my best friend and I couldn't live with you."

While Piper was in Defense Against the Dark Arts one day, the Carrows were both called to the Headmaster's office. She was delighted to hear that Neville had helped try to steal the sword of Gryffindor. From then on, Piper mouthed her opinions even louder. Frustrated by Piper Scott's ability to not conform even after being beaten, Professor Snape simply expelled her one day. Neville was also expelled.

After a few moments of torture and packing their things, Neville grabbed her hand and they hurried up to the seventh floor to the Room of Requirement. Neville closed his eyes and walked back and forth three times, still gripping Piper's hand tightly. Suddenly, before their eyes, the tall, wooden door opened and they hurried inside. The door shut and Piper looked around. The room was different from when they had the Dumbledore's Army meetings.

"They shouldn't be able to get in here," Neville said. There were two beds against a wall, one for her and one for Neville. "I told Ginny about it and Ginny told the others. So if they get expelled, they know where to go."

"Oh, Neville, we can't stay here," Piper told him, turning to face him. "How long do you think this'll last? How long do you think Snape is going to be Headmaster?"

Neville hesitated. "I don't know."

"We can't stay here forever. You know that."

Neville looked down at his things. "Do you want me to fix your cuts? I've got a little bit of that solution left."

Neville was bleeding much worse than her. "Maybe you should use it on yourself."

"Me?" Neville asked, looking at his bloody hands. "It'll stop bleeding. Come on, sit down on the bed and I'll fix you up."

Piper agreed reluctantly and sat down as Neville got out his towel again. He stood before her and with one hand, touched her cheek, the other dabbing her forehead gently. Piper bit her bottom lip and looked into Neville's eyes. "Thank you," she winced and Neville instinctively stroked her cheek with his thumb, trying to reassure her.

Piper was surprised at Neville's reaction and he glanced down into her eyes for a second. He was still touching her cheek. Piper raised her hand and touched his arm, nuzzling gently into his warm hand. With her other hand, she took the towel from Neville and found a dry spot. She touched this dry spot to Neville's bloody lip and when it was clean, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his.

Neville kissed her back, tucking her hair behind her ear and closing his eyes. It was so natural to be kissing her. Their lips fit together perfectly and it just felt right. Neville couldn't imagine kissing anyone else.

She pulled away and they both spoke at exactly the same time: "I love you."

Neville had disappeared through a portrait in the wall for hours at a time for a few days and more and more people were getting expelled. Most of them were Gryffindor students, but Piper noticed there were absolutely no Slytherins. No one had found them and it had been quite a few weeks.

Neville's and Piper's beds had disappeared to make more room. Cots had been set up all over the Room of Requirement. Although, Piper and Neville had set their cots beside each other's and every night, they fell asleep holding hands, their fingers intertwined, hoping and wishing that they would wake up in the morning still hidden from the Carrows and Snape and still alive.

Then one day, it was the day that Neville had dreaded hoped would come for a whole year. He returned from the Hogs Head one day through the portrait with three people following him. Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley entered the Room of Requirement and set off to find the lost Ravenclaw diadem.

Both Piper and Neville knew that the battle was coming. Hogwarts was going to be fighting anytime now and Neville found Piper in the crowd of people and grabbed her hands.

"Stay here," he pleaded, but he knew she wouldn't listen. She never did. This was the day that she had been waiting for. She wanted to be out there fighting for Harry and Hermione and Ron. For Neville. "Please, stay here."

"I'm fighting," she protested. "I have to go out there and fight. You can't keep me here."

"Listen to me, you stay here and I'll come back and I promise, you won't regret it."

"Neville…"

"Please."

Neville hesitated.

"When this battle is over and won, meet me in here," she whispered. Neville shook his head, but Piper nodded. "Right here. I'll be right here."

"Okay. Promise me you won't get hurt."

"Promise me that if I do, you'll be the one to take care of me."

Neville kissed her. After all these years – after seven years, he finally had her for himself and he wasn't too keen about her wanting to fight. He wanted her to be safe. He wanted to spend the rest of his life falling asleep beside her, holding hands with her. He didn't want to be holding hands and hoping they woke up the next morning. He wanted to know he was safe and he wanted to _know_ he would wake up beside her.

Neville touched his pockets – in his right one, something was hidden. His heart raced and he touched Piper's cheeks.

Suddenly, there was a crash outside and they left the Room of Requirement together, holding hands tightly, and then parting their separate ways, each praying to God that they would both survive and come back to meet each other at the end.

But there she was, lying in the grass, barely alive and Neville had been looking for her for over an hour, the sword of Gryffindor clutched in his hands. He wanted to show her that he had lived up to his Gran's standards and that he had finally become a true Gryffindor.

Neville ran over to her, tears in his eyes and he dropped to his knees, touching her hand and lacing their fingers together. "Piper!" he cried. "You didn't come back! I've been looking for you for an hour!"

Piper squeezed his hand as tight as she could, but it wasn't much. "I saw you kill Nagini. I saw it. You're so brave, Neville."

"Come on, I've got to get you inside. The Healers are in the Great Hall, treating everyone…"

"I don't want people to see me," Piper rasped and Neville swallowed loudly, setting down the sword and lifted Piper into his arms with ease. Piper grabbed the sword and held it so it wouldn't drop to the ground. Piper winced as he kissed her forehead, his whole body visibly shaking as he began to short trek to the castle. He snuck up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room with her and then into his dormitory, placing her on the four poster bed that had been his before.

"I'll – I'll go get a Healer for you, okay?" he said and she nodded. "Try not to fall asleep." Piper nodded again. He took the sword from her hands and propped it up against the wall, kissing her lips again, hoping that she'd be okay while he raced out the door and down to the Great Hall.

Piper tried her best to stay awake. She looked at the sword of Gryffindor, thinking of what Neville had become. She thought of how much he had changed and how much he had grown. He was truly a brave and strong man and she was in love with him. She had always been in love with him, now that she thought about it. Neville was willing to make sacrifices for a greater cause, he found love in everything and everyone, and he was always willing to help someone, not asking to be thanked once. Knowing that Neville could have become a weak and nervous boy because of how he was treated, Piper admired him even more than she did. She respected him more than herself and longed to be next to him forever.

As she was drifting off to sleep, Neville rushed through the door again with three Healers.

"Look at me, honey," said the one and Piper felt overwhelmed. She clutched the sheets an older woman lifted her shirt.

"You brought the dittany, right?"

"In my bag."

"Quickly, she needs it."

"Honey, what's your name?"

Piper was becoming dizzier and dizzier by the second and Neville stood up and watched, his right hand in his right pocket. They were pouring things into Piper's mouth, on her wounds, and cleaning the dried blood of her stomach and ankle. "Pi – Piper S – Scott."

"Do you know where you are, honey? Stay awake!"

It was becoming harder for Piper to keep her eyes open. She glanced at Neville, who was worried beyond belief. "I'm – I'm –" she looked around. "Hogwarts."

"Keep talking to us, Piper! Someone get her ankle – it's broken. Who's your boyfriend, Piper?"

"N – Neville. Nev – Neville is my b – boyfriend."

Neville smiled weakly at her.

"Listen, Piper, we're going to give you a potion that'll help you fall asleep, okay? When you wake up, Neville will be here and we'll all be gone. We're just going to work on your wounds, scars, and broken ankle, alright?"

Piper nodded and looked at Neville again. She wanted to hold his hand and he wanted to hold her's. They poured the potion into her mouth and she closed her eyes and fell asleep. Neville prayed that she would wake up.

When Piper did wake up, Neville was sitting beside her bed, holding her hand, their fingers intertwined. When he realized she was awake, he sat up and leaned forward, pressing his lips to her temple, thanking God.

"You're here," she smiled.

"You think I would leave you?"

"You're a hero, you know," she told him. Neville was close to tears. He touched his pocket again, feeling the bulge in his pocket. "You're a great man. You pulled that sword from the Sorting Hat because you showed true bravery and courage and loyalty."

Neville didn't say anything. A tear slowly rolled down his cheek. Piper smiled.

"You made a lot of people proud today, Neville. Especially me. You should be down in the Great Hall, shaking everyone's hand." Thinking of all the dead bodies in the Great Hall made them both sick and while Neville clenched his stomach with his free hand, Piper began to sob. "I love you."

Piper cried herself back to sleep and Neville didn't stop her. She liked that about him.

Neville watched his girlfriend sleep and he breathed inconsistently, still crying. He was afraid to lose her. He was afraid that she was going to go right in her sleep, holding his hand. He touched the thing in his pocket, wondering when the right time was to bring it out. He had to soon, or else it might be too late.

Piper's wounds oozed blood and Neville knew that it wouldn't stop for a while. Everytime her bandage was changed, blood would spill. There had been some kind of magical enchantment on whatever had stabbed or sliced her stomach open. Her face was too pale, almost white and Neville's heart raced as he pressed his hand to her cheek, and then touched her wrist, making sure she was still alive.

Piper's eyes fluttered open and she looked weak. She looked weaker than she had a few hours earlier. "Neville, are you okay?" she asked and Neville nodded, slowly pulling his hand away from her wrist, but keeping a firm grip on her other hand. "Are you tired? You've got to be."

"No, I'm alright. I've got to stay awake and make sure you're okay." He could feel the lump in his throat growing bigger.

Piper smiled and Neville found it amazing that she could still do that. "Sleep, Neville. Quit lying to me. I'll be okay."

"I'm not lying," Neville protested.

"Neville, you've never been a good liar." Piper liked how his name sounded when she said it. Neville liked when she said his name, too.

"Fine, maybe I am a bit tired."

"More than a bit," Piper answered and she grinned at Neville again. He watched as she painfully moved to the edge of the bed, leaving a small space for him to lay down. She patted the empty bed space and Neville looked hesitantly at her, and then slowly crawled in bed beside her. "We can sleep now, Neville. It's safe for us to sleep. We don't have to worry about being hurt or getting killed…" But she was already sleeping.

Neville smiled and touched her hand, pressing his lips to her's. It was incredible how much he had come to love her. It had been seven years. He felt so many emotions for her and he definitely admired her. Who wouldn't? She was brave and courageous – everything he wished he could be. Piper was willing to do anything. She was willing to sacrifice herself for others and she would have done anything for her friends. She was a true Gryffindor – a _real_ Gryffindor and just earlier, _she_ was praising _him_.

Neville began to feel heartbroken. He felt terrible for her, but then he touched his pocket one more time. He kept his eyes fixed upon Piper's closed ones. _He_ wanted protect her forever. _He_ wanted to give her everything. Neville _wanted_ to take care of her for the rest of his life. She meant so much to him and he reached in his pocket.

The ring that had taken so long to acquire, countless days and with help from Aberforth, was in his palm now. His shaky hand held it up so he could see it for himself. It wasn't the most expensive thing, but that was okay – if Piper really loved him, she wouldn't care. And Neville knew that she loved him, so it was all okay.

Neville's heart was jumping, it was leaping up in his throat and even though he wanted to let Piper sleep, it was now or never.

"Piper," he whispered, holding the ring with his thumb and index finger. "Piper, wake up, I've got something for you."

But she didn't wake up.

Neville touched her cheeks, touched her wrists, and kissed her, but she was still. Piper wouldn't open her eyes. She wouldn't move.

Tears began to flood Neville Longbottom's eyes as he kissed her cold lips over and over again. He held her in his arms and kissed the top of her head, his tears falling into her hair. He waited over an hour before he retrieved a Healer to take her down to the Great Hall.

He watched the Healer take her away with the ring still in his hand, tears still flowing from his eyes.

Neville had lost the girl of his dreams.

Neville had lost the girl who had been his best friend since their first year at Hogwarts.

He wished he had told her sooner how he felt.

He wished he had kissed her sooner so they would have had more memories.

He wished he would have asked her sooner.

He wished that he hadn't waited so long.


End file.
